1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technical field of an electro-optical device, such as a liquid crystal device, and an electronic apparatus, such as a liquid crystal projector, provided with the electro-optical device.
2. Related Art
A liquid crystal device, which is an example of the above electro-optical device, is also used widely, for example, as a light modulating device (light valve) of a projection-type display device. Particularly, in a projection-type display device, because intensive light emitted from a light source enters a liquid crystal light valve, a light shielding film, which serves as a light shielding device that blocks incident light, is installed in the liquid crystal light valve so that a thin film transistor (TFT) in the liquid crystal light valve does not cause an increase in leakage current and/or a malfunction, or the like, because of the intensive light. More specifically, in order to drive a pixel electrode in each pixel, such a light shielding film is at least partially formed of a vertical data line and a horizontal scanning line, which are arranged in a display area so as to intersect with each other, and a conductive film that constitutes various electronic elements, or the like, including a TFT, which are electrically connected to the scanning line and/or the data line in each pixel. Alternatively, in addition to or in place of this configuration, to merely serve as a light shielding device that blocks incident light, a light shielding film is formed into a grid-like or stripe pattern that corresponds to the planar pattern shape of the data lines and the scanning lines.
In a region on a substrate, in which the light shielding film is formed, that is, a non-aperture region that does not transmit light, contact holes that electrically connect the TFT to the pixel electrode are formed in an interlayer insulating film that electrically insulates the pixel electrode from an electronic element, such as various wirings and the TFT, formed on the lower layer side below the pixel electrode (which is, for example, described in JP-A-2004-198849).
However, there is a technical problem that in order to implement a high-definition electro-optical device or miniaturized pixel pitch in consistent with a general request that a high-quality display image, and in order to attain a high aperture ratio of each pixel to display a bright image, if the width of a light shielding film provided between mutually adjacent pixels is merely reduced, light may be more likely to enter TFTs, that is, light shielding ability for TFTs may decrease. Furthermore, there is another technical problem that if the width of such a light shielding film is merely reduced, it will be difficult to ensure space for providing contact holes in the non-aperture region in terms of manufacturing process or design.